Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco talks to the press during media day at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Jan. 29, 2012. / John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports

NEW ORLEANS - Joe Flacco is sorry for saying Monday that an outdoor cold-weather Super Bowl is a "retarded" idea, a statement he tried to take back as soon as he said it.

"Obviously, it was a bad choice of words. I wish I hadn't said it," the Baltimore Ravens quarterback said Tuesday during Super Bowl XLVII media day. "I have a great relationship with Special Olympics back in Baltimore and have had one for many years. I didn't mean to offend anybody, but I definitely apologize for it."

TheBaltimore Sun quoted Flacco during an appearance for Special Olympics this past summer as saying, "Special Olympics is such a cool organization. A lot of kids come out here and give it their all. The amount of fun that they have when they go out there and do it is out of this world. That's what it's really what it's about. It's about having fun. It's about showing little kids that want to play this sport how much fun it is. And I think when you get a chance to hang around the kids that compete at this kind of thing it allows me to kind of step back for a second and realize how lucky we are to be doing what we're doing."

"I don't know if I would say I'm dull but probably close to it," Joe Flacco said with a laugh, adding: "I think he takes that as a compliment. He (my dad) looks at that and says, 'He's not out there doing anything crazy or making a joke of himself. I raised him the right way.' I think that's how he takes it."

Flacco took a rare misstep in this case, but his teammates believe he'll be the same, old, dull Flacco.

"Look at my quarterback. Let's see if his expression changes in the next two questions," linebacker Terrell Suggs said from the neighboring podium. "Look at that â?? nothing. The guy is stone."